8 Susanne Hanger-Kopp et al.
principal measure to reduce emissions. However, it can involve rebound effects
where increased efficiency leads to increased energy consumption, reducing its
potential impact. In particular, the building sector is a popular target that holds
immense potential. We explore China’s very different path to more energyefficient buildings. Here, the focus is naturally on the country’s ever- growing
cities, which provide an intriguing narrative on increasing energy efficiency at
an unprecedented scale. We also look at one European case, Greece, which has
a large remaining energy efficiency potential in its building stock but is struggling to achieve its near- term targets. The Greek narrative highlights how
short- and long- term action requires different considerations for risk and uncertainty assessments.
Finally, theme four (Part V) covers pathways focusing on renewable energy
technologies at household and community levels in Indonesia (Chapter 12)
and Kenya (Chapter 13). At the end- user level, individuals and households
constitute the most fundamental levels of decision making, and the perception
of end- user changes at the small scale can often bely their importance.
Behaviour at these scales can be the among the most challenging changes
required to realise a low- carbon future.
For Indonesia, aside from large- scale biogas for electricity, we explore the
potential to increase farm- level and communal biogas use in Bali by means of
biogas digesters and cookstove technology. In Kenya we similarly draw attention
to cookstove technologies, which need modernisation towards both more efficient technologies and alternative fuels in order to reduce deforestation and
emissions.
The narrative style allows us to highlight the national, regional, and local
specificities of each low- carbon transition pathway. The common focus on risks
and uncertainties adds value in enabling us to draw conclusions across cases.
The synthesis chapter (Chapter 14) highlights the lessons learned across all
cases, emphasising the complexities in risk and uncertainty assessments with
stakeholders, the ambiguity of any risk categorisation, and the joint challenges
we face across the globe.
Overall, this book aims to contribute to the transdisciplinary dialogue on
low- carbon transitions, particularly for energy. It offers narratives on some
decarbonisation pathways in order to illustrate the associated risks and
uncertainties. It also aims to encourage the uptake of this format of knowledge
sharing, which ideally enables mutual understanding and learning and ultimately helps us make more salient, credible, legitimate, and – most importantly
– sustainable decisions.
Note
1 Our narratives have the benefits of, but a broader basis than, narrative inquiry, which
is a social–empirical (observational) research method exclusively based on an individual’s experiences (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000); this and similar methods have been
critiqued (Wood, 2000) for a lack of analytical definition and trustworthiness.
principal measure to reduce emissions. However, it can involve rebound effects
where increased efficiency leads to increased energy consumption, reducing its
potential impact. In particular, the building sector is a popular target that holds
immense potential. We explore China’s very different path to more energyefficient buildings. Here, the focus is naturally on the country’s ever- growing
cities, which provide an intriguing narrative on increasing energy efficiency at
an unprecedented scale. We also look at one European case, Greece, which has
a large remaining energy efficiency potential in its building stock but is struggling to achieve its near- term targets. The Greek narrative highlights how
short- and long- term action requires different considerations for risk and uncertainty assessments.
Finally, theme four (Part V) covers pathways focusing on renewable energy
technologies at household and community levels in Indonesia (Chapter 12)
and Kenya (Chapter 13). At the end- user level, individuals and households
constitute the most fundamental levels of decision making, and the perception
of end- user changes at the small scale can often bely their importance.
Behaviour at these scales can be the among the most challenging changes
required to realise a low- carbon future.
For Indonesia, aside from large- scale biogas for electricity, we explore the
potential to increase farm- level and communal biogas use in Bali by means of
biogas digesters and cookstove technology. In Kenya we similarly draw attention
to cookstove technologies, which need modernisation towards both more efficient technologies and alternative fuels in order to reduce deforestation and
emissions.
The narrative style allows us to highlight the national, regional, and local
specificities of each low- carbon transition pathway. The common focus on risks
and uncertainties adds value in enabling us to draw conclusions across cases.
The synthesis chapter (Chapter 14) highlights the lessons learned across all
cases, emphasising the complexities in risk and uncertainty assessments with
stakeholders, the ambiguity of any risk categorisation, and the joint challenges
we face across the globe.
Overall, this book aims to contribute to the transdisciplinary dialogue on
low- carbon transitions, particularly for energy. It offers narratives on some
decarbonisation pathways in order to illustrate the associated risks and
uncertainties. It also aims to encourage the uptake of this format of knowledge
sharing, which ideally enables mutual understanding and learning and ultimately helps us make more salient, credible, legitimate, and – most importantly
– sustainable decisions.
Note
1 Our narratives have the benefits of, but a broader basis than, narrative inquiry, which
is a social–empirical (observational) research method exclusively based on an individual’s experiences (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000); this and similar methods have been
critiqued (Wood, 2000) for a lack of analytical definition and trustworthiness.